


Orienteering

by LiteralTrashForBillyHargrove (strangeradventuresofswampthing)



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Decides To Do Right By Max But Is Still Billy, Billy Hargrove Redemption, Billy Tries To Be Better, Eleven Still Has Her Powers, Fix It, Humor, I Am So Sorry If This Is OOC, I Apologise For This Bullshit, Season Three Destroyed Me So I Fixed It & Made It Stupid, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Sibling Bonding, This Is STUPID
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 22:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19877074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeradventuresofswampthing/pseuds/LiteralTrashForBillyHargrove
Summary: Billy gets the wrong end of the stick about an activity Max is doing with her friends.





	Orienteering

I don’t own anything. This was just for fun.

I DO NOT EXCUSE BILLY’S ACTIONS. HE DID SHITTY THINGS. THIS IS AN AU & A FIX IT

Somehow they all survived it.

One look at that ugly ass Mind Flayer after Billy had been freed from its control & after taking a few blows from that thing when he’d jumped in front of it to protect Max’s friend, was all he needed to grab Eleven & a near by Max & just leg it.

As fast and far away from it & danger as possible.

Then they’d all manage to come together & blow that thing to kingdom come.

No one’s really sure how they did it, but everyone made it out alive and at the end of the day, that’s all that really mattered.

Billy had no idea what to say to Eleven afterwards, knowing that she’d seen into the depths of his mind.

To be honest, he didn’t really speak a word to anyone after, just ruffled Max’s hair once in passing, who’d thanked him for saving her friend. 

She’d also stood with him the entire time that he was being treated for his injuries.

Yet what had surprised him most was when she’d thrown herself into his arms, hugged him tightly & told him that it would take awhile for everything but she accepts his apology.

Which is why, Billy was determined there and then to do what he can not to be the biggest arsehole to her or her friends, if he could help it.

It became an unspoken thing in the end.

No one, not even Billy himself made any moves to excuse the troubled teen from any of the shit he’d pulled.

He did terrible things, awful, incredibly shitty things.

It would never be forgotten, but moving forwards, if Billy attempted to clean up his act and everyone stayed in their own lane, things could change for the better.

Things did get better.

Whilst Max would always be wary of her step brother, she’d found it easier to care about him now he’s no longer unexpectedly screaming in her face or trying to kill her friends and even trying to avidly keep her out of the way of Neil if he appeared to be on the warpath.

Unfortunately she still couldn’t do anything when Neil turned on Billy.

He didn’t expect her to either, in fact he wants her to stay well out of the way when that happens but doesn’t scream at her to leave anymore when she comes to his aid after a rather cruel beating.

He lives for the day when he can finally afford a place of his own to go & live.

Take Max with him & get the both of them out of that shit hole.

It’s the thought of getting out of the shit hole he lives in that gives him the strength to get back up after a beating.

At this point he’d go live in his beloved car, which he’d somehow managed to fix up, but he wouldn’t want to leave Max to the mercy of Neil.

Max just wants to grab that bat she’d one threatened Billy with & just go to town on Neil with it until he could never hurt either one of them again.

It had taken months for things to start to settle, but soon enough Billy was back to driving Max to school & back.

Honestly, he was just happy that his car had survived.

Max enjoyed the rides more too.

Yes, she & Billy would still swear at each other a lot & disagree on many things, but now she can tell that Billy is trying to turn a corner & doesn’t begrudge taking her to places.

He’s still strict about curfews, but she knows that’s just so neither she or he can become the subject of Neil’s abuse.

Yet other than some offhand comments he doesn’t wish death on her friends.

He even sometimes enquires about how El is doing, that she’s the one he hates the least out of Max’s friends.

Billy will even take them on slight detours so it takes them longer to get back to the house they both hate.

All in all, Max is relived that a very near death experience has set Billy on a road to trying to do things better because now she has a brother who she doesn’t have to fear anymore.

They maybe able to actually have a proper brother-sister relationship now and quite frankly, she’ll take what she can get.

It might have took both of them nearly losing their lives, but Max feels like it’s made them appreciate each other more, enough for things to change.

One day, after arguing with Billy the whole ride to school about how loud he has his music in the car, Max remembers something important.

“Hey, shithead. You don’t have to hang around to give me a ride, schools gonna run over. I’ll walk with my friends.”

“Why, shitbird?” Billy peers at her over his sunglasses.

“Class is doing orienteering, could take awhile seeing as they’re just gonna let us loose in the woods. First group back wins something...”

“What?” Billy just looks bemused.

“Just you don’t have to bother picking me up because I don’t know what time school will be done by tonight, dumbass.” 

“Don’t call me a dumbass, Maxine!”

“Whatever, see you later!” Max calls as she starts jogging away to where her friends are stood.

“Hey! Get your ass back here! I don’t...” Billy just shakes his head at his step sister, before yanking a cigarette out of a packet.

Wondering to himself, what the shit is ‘orienteering’.

He did try to just carry on with his day, he really did.

Trying to pretend that he didn’t care what his Max was getting up to now, but her telling him that she’d be late due to an activity that involves her & her pals going through the woods just set off alarms in his head.

With all the shit those kids find themselves in & after what happened a few months ago with the Mind Flayer. Billy just wants an easy life.

Yet his life includes keeping an eye on his sister & making sure she doesn’t get herself killed doing something dumb.

Which is why he gathered himself some weapons, a bag full for good measure before stopping off at the one place he wouldn’t have wanted to be caught dead in if he didn’t think that he needed someone to throw at whatever monster that might appear in order to protect Max & the other kids.

“Customer.” Robin Buckley says in a sing song voice, cutting one of Steve Harrington’s rambles short.

“Please say it’s a woman or women & that I can serve this time, you served all the hot ladies yesterday.” Steve begs.

“Oh yeah, sure. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“You didn’t exactly give me a choice!”

“Shut up & serve, dingus!”

Shaking his head at her, Steve straightens his hat & takes a deep breath, prepared to hopefully wow a beautiful woman with his new greeting & starts calling it as he spins around.

“AHOY LADIES CARE TO SET SAIL ON THIS OCEAN OF FLAVOUR WITH ME? Billy...” Steve nearly chokes on his own spit.

“Shit you smoking, Harrington?” Billy cocks his head to the side.

“You said it was a woman.” Steve hisses discreetly at Robin.

“Sorry, dingus. Thought it was, must have been the hair.”

Billy gives Robin the middle finger.

“What are you even doing here? Come to make fun?” Steve crosses his arms.

“Whilst I’d love to make fun of you all day, Harrington, especially since your looking like that.” Billy snorts at the very sight of Steve in his Scoops Ahoy uniform.

“Haven’t got the time. Max mentioned something to me that’s on my mind. Those little shits are apparently being let loose in the woods by their school today, or something like that. They’re orienteering or some shit.” He tells Steve in an almost bored tone.

“What the hell is that?” Steve looks just as bemused as Billy did.

“Exactly what I thought. All I got from what she said was that those kids are being let loose in the woods today & what with all the shit they’re managed to get themselves into, just doesn’t feel right to me.” Billy admits.

“Wait, are you telling me that you actually care?”

“No!”

“Wow, the rumours are true, Billy Hargrove really has started to change his ways...”

“Don’t push me, Harrington. I’ll still happily kick your ass up & down Hawkins when we’re done making sure them little dumbasses aren’t getting themselves killed.” Billy warns him with a signature Billy Hargrove glare.

“Well, seeing as I to have no idea what orienteering is either & don’t like the idea of those kids being let loose in the woods, I’ll go & keep an eye on them. Make sure they don’t do anything stupid.” Steve sighs.

“Umm.” Robin starts up in the background.

“Good stuff, Harrington. Now, I gotta bag ton of weapons in the trunk of my car.” Billy explains to him.

“Guys...” Robin starts again but is cut off by Steve.

“Why did you come to me about this?”

“Because he’s Steve ‘single mom of six’ Harrington?” Robin smirks.

“What? I am not!” Steve spins around to face his best friend.

“Um, yeah you are. Come on, Steve, just admit that you’ve basically adopted those six kids & let’s move on.” Robin gives him a shit eating grin that causes even Billy to smirk.

“They’re more likely to listen to you then me, Harrington. Besides, if they’re in danger & something’s coming after them. I’m gonna need something to throw at the creature. It might as well be you.” Billy shrugs.

“For the record, I would not be a part of this if I wasn’t worried about the safety of the kids.” Steve holds up a hand.

“Don’t care, Harrington, just get a move on, shit knows where they are right now.” Billy starts to walk away, Steve reluctantly following him.

Oh my god. They’re actual idiots. Robin muses to herself.

Pretty confident that neither man knows anything about orienteering & the only reason she herself doesn’t say anything is for one reason & one reason alone & it’s always why she proceeds to follow the men.

Because she really wants to see how this unfolds.

“I taught the kids some of the shortcuts I’ve found in these woods.” Steve announces once they’re actually inside the woods & he’s confident that he’s not longer feeling like he’s going to puke.

Which was the unfortunate feeling that came with Billy’s driving.

“Figured, just in case they got lost in here or something. If they’re smart, which of course they are, they’ll use them.” Steve continues, leading the way.

“They’re bound to come through here at some point. We could just wait...”

“Or, we could actually see if we can find them.” Billy mutters, throwing his bag of weapons over his shoulder before beginning to scale the nearest tree.

“He’s climbing a tree, he’s actually climbing a tree.” Robin shakes her head.

“Uh. Don’t really feel like doing that, myself per say but you keep going, tell me if you can see them. Come on, we can hide behind the bushes.” Steve grabs Robin’s arm, leading her around a bush that is positioned right next to the tree Billy is currently climbing.

“Why are we hiding?” Robin frowns.

“What if there actually is a monster out there? I don’t want to be just stood out there in the open & I also don’t want to look like a complete idiot in front of the kids. We’re just here to make sure they’re gonna get in & out of these woods safely.” Steve raise his hands to Robin, whom rolls her eyes at him.

“Anything?” Steve calls up to Billy.

“Nah, not yet.” Billy replies, before opening up a bottle of beer that he’d thrown into the bag, just in case he had time to kill & takes a swig.

“Are you seriously drinking up there? For the love of...”

“Quiet!” Billy snaps down to Steve.

“I hear something.”

Meanwhile...

“We’re so getting first prize.” Mike declares triumphantly as he walks ahead with Will & Dustin.

Lucas walking a little bit behind him with Eleven & Max.

“Yet we’ve gone completely off map.” Lucas remarks.

“So what? Steve showed me shortcuts. I’m using them now to get us the first prize!” Dustin retorts.

“I bet it’s a nice big pizza. I’d like that, one nice big pizza.” Lucas grins.

“Or pudding! Maybe we’re gonna get lots of pudding! Either way I’m sold.” Mike beams.

“I just want to beat the others.” Max shrugs, nudging Eleven.

“Are you hoping for anything, El?” 

Eleven just shrugs.

Just happy to be a part of this.

“Shit what’s that up there!” Lucas suddenly yells, directing their attention to something high up in a near by tree.

“I don’t know, shit... I can’t see it properly!” Will cries.

“Why. Why is this happening to us? Like, we’ve just gotten over the last encounter with some weird shit, no more. Please, no more.” Dustin groans.

Eleven becomes defensive then, prepared to use her powers in the split second that something goes wrong & they’re attacked by this unknown entity to them.

“I’m gonna fire a rock at it.” Lucas prepares his slingshot.

“Are you sure? Maybe we should just run. Go, now. Not provoke it or... Lucas!” Will sighs when Lucas promptly fired the rock straight at the unknown entity.

Each one of the six kids immediately startled when the thing shifts around in the tree.

“I told you not to provoke it!” Will hisses.

“We’re dead, we’re dead. This time, we’re not getting out. I can feel it.” Mike moans.

“Why are we here? Why is this happening again? Why can’t we just get through the day & end it on a high with Dungeons & Dragons?” Will buries his head in his hands.

However, before the unknown entity can do anything at all, Eleven uses her powers to rip the tree apart.

Prepared to deal with this new threat hear & now and...

“SHIT!” There is the sounds of screams the second Eleven rips the tree apart, flinging the assailant from it.

“What the?” Mike along with the others frown at the sound of the, what appears to be human screaming.

“I think I’ve broken something!”

“STEVE?!” Dustin, Mike, Will, Lucas, Eleven & Max exclaim at the same time.

“I don’t think I can feel my legs, ohh god. He’s paralysed me! Get off!” Steve groans.

“Give me a second, Harrington! Can’t really move though the pain right now.”

“Billy?!” Mac exclaims at the sound of her brother’s voice.

“Shit, I think he’s crippled us both, move it Hargrove, you’re crushing us!” Robin’s voice also sounds out.

“Trying to move through immense pain? It ain’t easy!”

“You’re literally causing us pain by not moving your ass! I think you’ve literally flattened us! How can one dude be so heavy?” Robin groans.

“Because all he is is muscle & hair!” Steve hisses as the kids walk around the bush to see parts of the tree Eleven just destroyed on the ground & all over the pile up that is Robin, Steve & Billy. 

“Confused.” Eleven whispers to Max & Mike. 

“What are you doing?” Dustin yells down to them.

“Can we deal with them later, we gotta move if we want to win!” Lucas groans.

“We thought something could happen to you!” Steve gasps as the three manage to shift themselves enough so that Billy rolls to one side allowing Steve & Robin to get up.

“Doing a class activity?” Max folds her arms.

“Dude, it’s just orienteering! We’re given a map, we follow it, we get to the end where our teachers are waiting for us. Yeah we went off map because we wanted to win & get there quicker, but we’re perfectly safe!” Mike protests.

“I was trying to tell them that. You know, your teachers are probably hidden all over these woods making sure no one gets hurt, that’s what class orienteering is!” Robin shakes her head at Billy & Steve.

“Why didn’t you tell us that?!” Billy hisses at her.

“Because you two wouldn’t shut up long enough for me to tell you. Besides, I kinda wanted to see how it all turned out.” Robin snorts.

“Well, maybe if Maxine had explained what this was in the first place, we wouldn’t have ended up in this mess!” Billy growls.

“I thought you understood, not my fault that you’re a dumbass.”

“Watch it, shitbird!” 

“Cared about us.” Eleven smiles.

“Yeah, he came all prepared to take on some new threat if he needed to, to keep an eye on you guys. 

“No I don’t!” Billy grumbles indignantly.

Max just beams.

“We’ll be back for you three once we’ve collected our prize. Come on! We better run for it, another group might have already run!” Max grabs Eleven’s arm & gestures for the others to follow her.

“No way! This shortcut takes miles off the journey, we’re definitely going to get there first!” Will cheers as they all break into a run.

“Hey! Don’t just leave us here!” Steve calls after them.

“We’ll come back!” Max yells.

“Get your asses back here & help us out!” Billy growls.

“No one told you to climb that tree!” Dustin calls cheekily back.

“If we win free pizza, we’ll bring you back half a slice!” Lucas yells.

“HALF A SLICE?!” Billy hisses, but the kids are already long gone.

“Think I’ve cracked a whole shitting rib!” Billy hisses.

“I think you broke my back!” Steve yells.

“Oh shut up, you big babies! We’re fine, we’re bruised & in pain, but we’re fine. No one’s lost a limb, we lived & there better be ice in your car.” Robin hisses, dragging the two men towards Billy’s car.

Supporting them both despite her own bruises.

Dropping Steve on the bonnet of Billy’s car, she pushes Billy towards his car door, watching as he opens up the back & just lies out across the back seat, muttering curses & growling in pain.

The three just muttering & hissing in pain from their bruised bodies for a while until the kids arrive, grinning from ear to ear.

“We won, we so won!” Mike is cheering.

“We got pudding.” Eleven whispers happily.

“One for each of us!” Will adds.

“Did you bring one back for us?” Steve enquires.

“Uhh...” The kids look away.

“Fantastic.” Billy mutters sarcastically.

“Well, how about we go & get ice cream, Steve’s treat.” Robin suggests.

“Hey!” Steve protests.

“Deal with it, Harrington!” 

The kids cheer.

“We’ll meet you there. I don’t think we’ll all fit in Billy’s car.” Max claps her hands.

“Stay out of my car!” Billy winces at the very thought of all of Max’s friends, Harrington & Robin all sat in his beloved car.

“Don’t worry, we’re walking.” Max holds her hands up, nodding to her friends to go, who follow Robin & a limping, complaining Steve.

“I’ll be waiting for you all to get there.” Billy murmurs, patting the car seat.

“Yeah right, it’s going to take you at an hour to start moving at this rate!” Robin cackles back at him.”

“Wanna bet?!” Billy growls before swearing in pain as he sits himself up.

“Are you okay?” Max rushes over to her brother.

“No! I fell out of a goddam tree, Maxine!” Billy grumbles but doesn’t yell at her, causing Max to smile a little.

“Sorry. Thought you were something bad.” Eleven, who had decided not to go with the others calls over to Billy.

“Don’t worry about it.” Billy waves a hand at her.

“You came to keep to make sure that we weren’t in danger.” Max continues to smile.

“Thanks.” She adds, seeing this as just another step Billy has made to better himself.

“You didn’t exactly explain what you were doing. All I got from what you said was you lot were going to be in the woods & I wasn’t risking it. You told me that you didn’t want me to die & well, I don’t want you to die either, neither of you.” He nods to Eleven as well.

Max beams at her brother & wonders if it’s a good idea to hug him or not.

Maybe later, she muses as he starts swearing when he stands up, heading towards the drivers seat.

“Get in, both of you.” He gestures to Max & Eleven.

“Are you sure your okay to drive?” Max pales.

“I’m always okay to drive.” 

“Are you sure? You look like you’re in pain. I could drive.”

“Oh, Maxine.” Billy shakes his head at her.

“Let’s get one thing straight. You are never, ever gonna drive my car.”

“How the shit did they get here before us?!” Lucas practically shrieks when he sees the Camaro parked & Max, Eleven & Billy stood outside.

“Bad driving.” Eleven mouths to them.

“Yep.” Max links arms with her before heading over to join Lucas & Mike.

The kids & Steve, Robin & Billy heading towards Scoops Ahoy together.

Grabbing the table right at the back, Mike, Will, Lucas, Eleven, Dustin & Max give Steve & Robin their orders before sitting down.

Billy isn’t sure where to sit at first until Max pats the chair beside her.

“It’s okay, you can sit with us.” 

Smirking gratefully, Billy sits, placing his legs on the chair in front of him & leaning backwards as his sister talks away with her friends.

“Just go & sit down & stop being a wuss.” Robin pushes Steve away who slides into the chair besides Dustin, chucking an ice pack in Billy’s general direction.

“You got any beer? Seeing as being thrown out of a tree made me drop mine.” Billy calls to Robin.

“We don’t have alcohol at Scoops Ahoy!” Steve shakes his head at the man.

“What kinda shit hole is this?” Billy groans.

“A place that sells great ice cream, shithead.” Max nudges him.

“After all this It better be some real good ice cream, shitbird.”

**Author's Note:**

> *Posts this & dives into my car to hide.* I am incredibly sorry for this godawful piece of work. I apologise for it, I really do. I just needed to write something happy after reading Runaway Max & watching series three of Stranger Things finally. I think it broke me, I think Billy was a shitty person & his actions were inexcusable & I always felt bad for liking him (the man is hot I couldn’t help it) but series three showed us his trauma & so did Runaway Max & because he was such a complex character he was my favourite because I love complex characters & I’m genuinely really upset that he’s gone & I do think that he deserved better than just to die when he could’ve redeemed himself further by being a better brother to Max. Anyway, I’m sorry for this godawful piece of work, thank you all so much for reading & please comment if you can.


End file.
